Biotransformation of diphenyl ether by the yeastTrichosporon beigelii SBUG 752

Trichosporon beigelii SBUG 752 was able to transform diphenyl ether. By TLC, HPLC, GC, GC-MS, NMR- and UV-spectroscopy, several oxidation products were identified. The primary attack was initiated by a monooxygenation step, resulting in the formation of 4-hydroxydiphenyl ether, 2-hydroxydiphenyl ether and 3-hydroxydiphenyl ether (48:47:5). Further oxidation led to 3,4-dihydroxydiphenyl ether. As a characteristic product resulting from the cleavage of an aromatic ring, the lactone of 2-hydroxy-4-phenoxymuconic acid was identified. The possible mechanism of ring cleavage to yield this metabolite is discussed.     

Beta-2 microglobulin types in mice of wild origin

To determine the distribution of beta-2 microglobulin (B2m) alleles in wild mice we have typed mice derived from natural populations in Europe, North Africa, South America, and East Asia. Mus musculus domesticus mice from Germany, France, Italy, and Peru were all B2m ^a as were most from the United Kingdom. M.m. musculus mice from Denmark and Czechoslovakia, several stocks of M.m. molossinus from Japan, and M.m. castaneus from China, Thailand, and the Philippines were of B2m ^b type. This is consistent with the notion that C57BL/6 may have obtained some of its genes, including B2m, from Eastern mice. A BgII restriction site characteristic of B2m ^b was also found in mice from Czechoslovakia and Japan, confirming that B2m ^b is a naturally occurring allele of B2m. A new type of ₂m ( ₂m^w1) was found in four stocks of M. spretus from Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. This molecule differs in apparent size and charge from the a and b types. ₂m^w2 was found together with ₂ ma in one stock of M.m. domesticus (brevirostris) from Morocco. ₂m^w3 and ₂m^w4 were found in a few M. m. bactrianus from Pakistan. In all cases tested, these new ₂m molecules associate with class I histocompatibility antigens.Abbreviations used in this paper ₂m beta-2 microglobulin - B2m gene for beta-2 microglobulin - IEF isoelectric focusing - SDS-PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate - MHC major histocompatibility complex - T. E. Tris-EDTA buffer     

Can winter swimming cause people to prefer lower room temperatures?

Preferred room temperatures were determined for 16 winter swimmers who had been exposed to cold shock daily by bathing in the sea (0–6°C) during at least two winter seasons. Each subject participated in one comfort experiment (2 1/2 h) in an environmental test chamber, where the preferred ambient temperature was determined by adjusting it according to his wishes. The subjects were sedentary and clothed in a standard uniform. Skin temperatures, rectal temperature and evaporative weight loss were measured. The results were compared with similar data for two other groups: (a) a control group of 64 normal subjects and (b) 16 persons who had been working 8 h a day at 8°C during at least 6 months in the meat packing industry. The results showed no significant differences between the ambient temperatures preferred by the three groups of subjects. This indicated that man cannot be adapted to prefer lower ambient temperatures by exposing him daily to cold.     

Photokinetic microanalysis of NADP+, using bacterial luciferase

Summary Bioluminescence photokinetic assay of NADP⁺ is described, using the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction for conversion to its reduced form and subsequent measurement of this with luciferase extracts of Vibria fisherii. The analyses were applied to the determination of the activity of minute amounts of glutathione reductase using NADP⁺ as measurable product and for nucleotide assay in cell samples of 0.5–10 g dry weight. The sensitivity was sufficient for determining 0.5 picomoles NADP⁺.Previously, FMN, NADH, NAD⁺ and NADH have been analysed with the bacterial luciferase system. Its applicability has now been extended by the assay of NADP⁺.     

Ultrastructural observations on marine choanoflagellates (Choano-flagellida, Acanthoecidae) from the coast of Thailand: species of Apheloecion gen.nov

Three species of loricate choanoflagellates (Choanoflagdlida,Acanthoecidae), collected from the Andaman Sea near Phuket Island(SW Thailand), have been described and referred to Apheloeciongen.nov. (holotype: A. quadrispinum sp.nov.). All species possessa single-chambered lorica composed of one transverse costs overlaidby a limited number of longitudinal costae which converge posteriorly.Anteriorly the longitudinal costae protrude above the transversecosta as sharp pointed spines. In A. quadrispinum sp.nov. andA. pentacanthum sp.nov. the lorica is terminated by a shortposterior spine, whereas in A. articulatum sp.nov. the pedicelis much more prominent, consisting of several costal stripswhich are joined end-to-end. The species of Apheloecion appearto be most closely related to species of Calliacantha and Monocosta.None of the species described are so far known from localitiesoutside the Andaman Sea.     

Quantification of Y chromosome bearing spermatozoa of cattle using in situ hybridization.

An easy assay for quantification of Y chromosome-bearing sperm (Y-sperm) is needed, especially to monitor sperm separation techniques. In the present study a tritiated bovine male-specific DNA fragment was tested for identification of Y-sperm by in situ hybridization. A protocol for in situ hybridization to bovine sperm was developed and used to study the proportion of Y-sperm of 12 bulls. The usefulness of the method in optimization of sperm separation procedures is illustrated through analysis of fractions of sperm separated by Percoll density gradient centrifugation.     

Factors controlling nitrification and denitrification: A laboratory study with gel-stabilized liquid cattle manure

Nitrification and denitrification were studied in a millimeterscale microenvironment using a two-phase system with a liquid manure-saturated layer. Samples consisted of liquid cattle manure and air-dried soil stabilized with silica gel, placed between two aerobic soil phases with a water content near field capacity. A high potential for NH₄ ⁺ oxidation developed within 0–2 mm distance from the interface, and NH₄ ⁺ diffused only 10–20 mm into the soil. Some NH₄ ⁺ was probably immobilized by microorganisms in the soil between 0 and 4 days, after which nitrification was the only sink for NH₄ ⁺. A potential for denitrification developed within the manure-saturated zone. Maximum rates of both potential and actual denitrification were recorded by Day 4, but denitrification continued for at least 2–3 weeks. The potential for nitrification peaked after 14 days. When the pH of the manure was adjusted to 5.5, nitrification was reduced close to the interface, and NH₄ ⁺ penetrated further into the soil before it was oxidized. The pH adjustment had an inhibitory effect on denitrification: Both potential and actual rates of denitrification were almost eliminated for several days. The size of the manure-saturated layer strongly affected denitrification losses. With layers of 8 and 16 mm thickness, losses equivalent to 33 and 40% of the original NH₄ ⁺ pool, respectively, were estimated. When manure corresponding to a 12 mm layer was homogeneously mixed with the soil, only 0.3% was lost.Offprint requests to: S. O. Petersen.     

The human placental transferrin receptor: Reconstitution into liposomes and electron microscopy

Human transferrin receptor was isolated from Triton X-100 solubilized placental plasma membranes by a rapid one-step chromatographic procedure based on immunoadsorption of the receptortransferrin complex on anti-transferrin Sepharose and lectin-affinity on wheat germ agglutinin. Following exchange of Triton X-100 with CHAPS or n-octylglucoside, the purified receptor was incorporated into egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes upon, detergent removal by dialysis (lipid/protein ratio 15:1 to 45:1 (w/w) Reconstitution of the receptor was confirmed by trypsin cleavage to dissociate the large extracellular receptor domain from the liposomal membranes. Electron micrographs of the receptor-lipid recombinants negatively stained with sodium sillicotungstate, showed ographs of the receptor-lipid recombinants negatively stained with sodium sillicotungstate, showed that the receptor molecules distributed very inhomogeneously on the liposomes, most receptors being clustered. Single copies of the receptor were seen as elongate structures (5×10 nm) oriented with their long axis parallel to the liposome surface and separated from this by a 2–3 nm gap. This result provides evidence for a narrow connecting link between the globular extracellular receptor domain and the membrane spanning segment.Abbreviations CHAPS 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulfonate - PAGE polyacrylaminde gel electrophoresis - PC phosphatidylcholine - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride - SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate - WGA wheat germ agglutinin